Posted 10 months ago
oledebil
(113 items)
well where does one start. the story behind this ?? is the old mother inlaw had it sitting in her yard out in the weather and she asked me to make her a table top for it, laminated huon pine and blackwood (Tasmanian native timbers), the original timber work was all broken and rotten and was discarded, this part was tossed in the shed and stayed there until earlier today when I dragged it out. it has a reel type bobbin which I still have. The handle still turns but stops after a 1/2 turn so I never forced it. oh yea the serial number appears to be N281911.
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It's a model 27, from a batch of 35,800 machines commissioned at the Elizabethport NJ factory 23rd May 1900. The pattern on it is known as 'Pheasants'. It looks reasonable for a 'shed sitter' - you may be able to clean it up and get it working, it will be easier if the rusting is just surface and the parts will still unscrew and dismantle ok. Take off all the plated parts carefully, take photos as you go so you know what goes where. You can use a commercial rust remover or try boiling water, vinegar and salt. The parts won't come back to original shiny plated, but if you clean off the rust they should work ok. Give the whole inside a good squirt with WD-40 and leave it in a warm sunny spot for a few hours, and gently keep trying to move the wheel. Finding another machine to poach parts from is an option. :)
Thanks for the info Bernadette, it's in a cupboard under the stairs now, one day I'll hopefully get around to doing something with it. I've had it for over 30 yrs. My mother had an old treadle machine that she had for years it was like new, as kids we were never allowed near it. She got it off a friend of hers back in the 50's my sister ended up with it, no telling where it is now.